Omicron updates: COVID outbreak reported on cruise ship docking in New Orleans

At least 10 people on board have tested positive for the virus.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Meredith Deliso, and Ivan Pereira
Last Updated: December 6, 2021, 5:07 AM EST

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.2 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 785,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Just 59.6% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Dec 02, 2021, 2:35 PM EST

Biden announces plan to fight COVID this winter

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced his plan to fight COVID-19 this winter, including expanding booster access, expanding vaccine access for kids, offering free at-home rapid tests, extending the mass mandate for public transit and testing international travelers.

Biden said "all inbound international travelers must test within one day of departure, regardless of their vaccination status or nationality."

"This tighter testing timetable provides an added degree of protection as scientists continue to study the omicron variant," he said.

President Joe Biden speaks about the COVID-19 variant named omicron during a visit to the National Institutes of Health, Dec. 2, 2021, in Bethesda, Md.
Evan Vucci/AP

Biden said he is requiring health insurers to cover the cost of at-home COVID-19 tests.

"Private insurers already cover the expensive PCR test that you get in a doctor's office, and now they will cover at-home tests, as well," he said. "For those not covered by private insurance, we're going to make available free tests at thousands of convenient locations."

Dec 02, 2021, 1:50 PM EST

US sees highest daily vaccine numbers since May

The White House said 2.2 million vaccine doses have been administered in the last 24 hours -- the highest single-day total since May.

Dec 02, 2021, 1:28 PM EST

Minnesotan with omicron variant was boosted in early November

The Minnesotan man who is confirmed to have the omicron variant of COVID-19 received a booster shot in early November, health officials said.

The man attended an anime convention at the Javits Center in New York City from Nov. 19 to Nov. 21, and then, after experiencing mild symptoms on Nov. 22, he was tested on Nov. 24. He no longer has symptoms.

"It seems quite possible, perhaps, most likely, that the transmission happened at the convention in New York City, but that's not definitive," health officials said.

The Javits Center said everyone is required to show proof of vaccination and wear masks inside.

The individual had no history of international travel, officials said.

One of the man's close contacts has tested positive via a rapid test, officials said. Further tests to determine if the second individual is also positive for the omicron variant have yet to be conducted.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Dec 02, 2021, 12:41 PM EST

UK reports highest single-day rise in cases since July

The U.K. reported 53,495 new cases on Thursday – the highest single-day rise since July 17, British health officials said.

Shoppers wear face masks along Oxford Street in central London on Dec. 2, 2021, as compulsory mask wearing in shops and on public transport has been reintroduced in England.
Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images

Hospitalizations in the U.K. are down 6.5% over the last week while deaths are down 3% over the last week, officials said.

Over 80% of the 12-and-over population is fully vaccinated.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson receives his COVID-19 booster at a vaccination clinic at St. Thomas' Hospital in central London, Dec. 2, 2021.
Paul Edwards/Pool via AFP/Getty Images

Thirty-two cases of the omicron variant have been detected in the U.K.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

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